Santos Port Authority requests new federal study on port expansion areas

The Santos Port Authority, or APS, asked Brazil’s Ministry of Ports and Airports last month to reassess the possible inclusion of areas that were left out of the Port of Santos’ official perimeter earlier this year, the ministry said.

“The requested reassessment is still under review within the National Ports Secretariat,” the ministry said in a statement, without giving a deadline for completion. “Any change to port perimeters follows a strict review and must comply with technical, legal and land-use requirements.”

APS said the request covers Ecopátio, in Cubatão; areas in the mainland section of São Vicente, specifically in the regions known as Vale Novo and Areias; Vila dos Criadores, in the Alemoa area of Santos; and a site in the historic Valongo district, where a parking building is expected to be built as part of the passenger infrastructure for cruise ships.

The parking facility is linked to the planned relocation of the passenger terminal to the area in front of Parque Valongo.

Vila dos Criadores is likely to be the most sensitive issue for APS. The community is home to about 1,000 families, which would need a housing project if they agreed to move. The occupied area also requires decontamination. In addition, legal issues would need to be resolved, as there is an ongoing lawsuit against the city government over the site.

According to the port authority, the process is moving through the administrative review stage, with additional information and technical documents being submitted to the ministry.

“APS is closely monitoring the process and maintaining open dialogue with the ministry. If new documents, studies or additional technical details are requested, the port authority’s teams are ready to submit them quickly,” APS said in a statement.

The federal state-owned company said it remains optimistic that the technical review will move forward.

“As final authorization depends on the schedule and approval procedures in Brasília, the current focus is to meet the technical requirements needed for a decision to be made as soon as possible,” APS said.

The ordinance published in February expanded the port’s land area by 56%, from 9.3 million to 14.5 million square meters. At the time, the expansion included land areas such as Largo do Caneu, Monte Cabrão and Alemoa, as well as maritime areas used for anchorage and dredging waste disposal.

No new areas under review

APS also said there are currently no studies for the inclusion of additional areas beyond those already listed in the request. The port authority said its focus is on advancing and consolidating the current expansion process.

“It is important to highlight that the scope already approved so far represents a significant step forward, with a 56% expansion of the port’s land areas. This increase is already highly significant and has the potential to absorb projected operational growth and the structural investments planned for the port complex,” APS said.

According to Datamar data, both exports and imports increased at the Port of Santos in the first five months of the year compared with the same period last year, rising 3.3% and 7.3%, respectively.

The chart below compares deep-sea container operations at the port in recent years:

Port of Santos | Exports vs. Imports | Jan 2023-May 2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Previous expansion

In February, the Organized Port of Santos incorporated another 5.2 square kilometers of area, bringing its total footprint to 14.5 square kilometers and expanding its territorial area by 56%. The expansion was authorized by the Ministry of Ports and Airports.

The authorization partially met a request from APS, which had sought an expansion to 20.4 square kilometers.

The ordinance also covered water areas, increasing the port’s maritime space from 355.2 square kilometers to 367.2 square kilometers.

Source: A Tribuna

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